Summary: The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program, referred to as the RPS program, requires a retail seller of electricity, as defined, and local publicly owned electric utilities to purchase specified minimum quantities of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, for specified compliance periods, sufficient to ensure that the procurement of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources achieves 20% of retail sales for the period from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2013, inclusive, 25% of retail sales by December 31, 2016, and 33% of retail sales by December 31, 2020, and in all subsequent years. The RPS program, consistent with the goals of procuring the least-cost and best-fit eligible renewable energy resources that meet project viability principles, requires that all retail sellers procure a balanced portfolio of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as specified, referred to as portfolio content requirements. This bill would provide that a local publicly owned electric utility is not required to procure additional eligible renewable energy resources in excess of specified levels, if it receives 50% or greater of its annual retail sales from its own hydrodelectric generation meeting specified requirements.

Summary: Existing law defines “bikeway” for certain purposes to mean all facilities that provide primarily for bicycle travel. Existing law categorizes bikeways into 3 classes of facilities. This bill would additionally provide for a classification of Class IV bikeways, as specified. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.

Summary: Existing law, the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $11,140,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water and water supply reliability program. Existing law provides for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election. This bill would repeal these provisions. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.

Summary: Existing law creates the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $11,140,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water and water supply reliability program. Existing law provides for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election. This bill would repeal these provisions. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.

Summary: Existing law provides for the licensing and regulation of professional engineers and land surveyors by the Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors in the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law requires engineering documents, defined to include plans, calculations, specifications, and reports, to be prepared by, or under the responsible charge of, a licensed engineer and to include his or her name and license number. Existing law requires all land surveying documents to be prepared by, or under the responsible charge of, a licensed land surveyor or civil engineer authorized to practice land surveying and to include his or her name and license number. This bill would prohibit a person from using a licensed engineer’s documents, without the written consent of the licensed engineer, as specified. The bill would also prohibit a person from using a licensed land surveyor’s maps, plats, reports, descriptions, or other documentary evidence without the written consent of the licensed land surveyor, as specified. The bill would prohibit a licensed engineer or land surveyor from unreasonably withholding consent to use these documents. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations that the bill’s provisions are declaratory of existing law. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.

Summary: Existing law establishes the Office of Education and the Environment in the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery for the purpose of implementing a statewide environmental education program. This bill would establish the Outdoor Environmental Education and Recreation Program in the Department of Parks and Recreation, for purposes of increasing the ability of underserved and at-risk populations to participate in outdoor recreation and educational experiences by awarding grants to education programs that are available to the public and are operated by public entities or nonprofit organizations. The bill would create the Outdoor Environmental Education and Recreation Fund in the State Treasury and provide that, upon appropriation by the Legislature, moneys in the fund shall be used for awarding grants pursuant to the program. The bill would authorize the Director of Parks and Recreation to accept, and require the director to deposit into the fund, voluntary private donations made for support of the program. The bill would express the Legislature’s intent that the fund be capitalized with moneys from the General Fund and donations. This bill contains other related provisions.

Summary: Existing law provides that all parks, public camp grounds, monument sites, landmark sites, and sites of historical interest established or acquired by the state, or that are under its control, constitute the state park system, excluding the State Fair Grounds in Sacramento and Balboa Park in San Diego. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.

Summary: The Personal Income Tax Law and the Corporation Tax Law allow various credits against the taxes imposed by those laws. This bill would state that it is the intent of the Legislature to enact the California Economic Development and Historic Preservation Tax Credit Act, the purpose of which is to create jobs and revitalize communities by providing an incentive for the renovation and restoration of historic properties.

Summary: Existing law requires a local agency to adopt a specified updated model ordinance regarding water-efficient landscapes or a water-efficient landscape ordinance that is at least as effective in conserving water as the updated model ordinance. Existing law allows certain water providers to take specified actions regarding water conservation. This bill would provide that, with respect to the above-described provisions, governing documents include architectural or landscaping guidelines or policies and decisions by the board of directors applicable to a specific homeowner. The bill would apply these provisions to a prohibition on the replacement of existing turf with low water-using plants, as provided. This bill contains other existing laws.

Summary: Existing law places responsibility of the state park system, which includes all parks, public camp grounds, monument sites, landmark sites, and sites of historical interest established or acquired by the state, with the Department of Parks and Recreation. Existing law requires the department to administer, protect, develop, and interpret the property under its jurisdiction for the use and enjoyment of the public. Existing law authorizes the department to expend all moneys of the department for the care, protection, supervision, extension, and improvement or development of the property under its jurisdiction. Existing law requires the State Park and Recreation Commission to evaluate and assess the department’s deferred obligations, as specified. This bill would require the department to identify and develop a priority list of deferred state park maintenance projects, as specified. The bill would require the department to apply specified factors when prioritizing and identifying projects for the deferred maintenance list including, among others, projects that are necessary to prevent a state park from closing and projects that will increase park access to underserved communities. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.

Summary: The Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Act of 2008 requires the Department of Parks and Recreation to establish a local assistance program to distribute grants to the most critically underserved communities, as defined, across the state, on a competitive basis, to various local entities and nonprofit organizations for the acquisition or development, or both, of property for parks and recreation areas and facilities. This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would provide funding for regional parks in underserved areas.

Summary: Under existing law, boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs license and regulate persons practicing various healing arts, professions, vocations, and businesses. Existing law requires these boards to establish eligibility and application requirements, including examinations, to license, certificate, or register each applicant who successfully satisfies applicable requirements. This bill would require each board to complete within 45 days the application review process with respect to each person who has filed with the board an application for issuance of a license, and to issue, within that 45 days, a license to an applicant who successfully satisfied all licensure requirements. The bill also requires each board to offer each examination the board provides for the applicant’s passage of which is required for licensure, a minimum of 6 times per year.

Summary: Under existing law, the Department of Parks and Recreation controls the state park system, which is made up of units. Existing law requires the department to prepare or revise a general plan for a unit, as specified, and requires the department to furnish a copy of the general plan for any unit of the state park system for which a plan has been prepared to any Member of the Legislature upon request. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these state park system provisions.

Summary: Existing law authorizes a regional water management group to prepare and adopt an integrated regional water management plan with specified components. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to that provision.

Summary: The California Building Standards Law provides for the adoption of building standards by state agencies by requiring all state agencies that adopt or propose adoption of any building standard to submit the building standard to the California Building Standards Commission for approval and adoption. In the absence of a designated state agency, the commission is required to adopt specific building standards, as prescribed. Existing law requires the commission to publish, or cause to be published, editions of the code in its entirety once every 3 years. Existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to propose the adoption, amendment, or repeal of building standards to the California Building Standards Commission and to adopt, amend, and repeal other rules and regulations for the protection of the public health, safety, and general welfare of the occupants and the public involving buildings and building construction. This bill would require the Department of Housing and Community Development, in consultation with other designated entities, to conduct research to assist in the development of, and to propose, adoption, amendment or repeal by the California Building Standards Commission, of mandatory building standards for the installation of future recycled water infrastructure for single-family and multifamily residential buildings. The bill would authorize the department to expend funds from the existing Building Standards Administration Special Revolving Fund for this purpose upon appropriation. The bill would require the department to consider requiring local governments to adopt a recycled water service plan, with specified components. This bill would require the State Building Standards Commission to undertake identical research and activities with respect to development of mandatory green building standards for the installation of future recycled water infrastructure for commercial and public buildings.

Summary: Existing law, the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, requires the State Department of Public Health to establish uniform statewide recycling criteria for each varying type of use of recycled water if the use involves the protection of public health. The act defines recycling criteria to mean the levels of constituents of recycled water, and the means for assurance of reliability under the design concept that will result in recycled water that is safe for the uses to be made. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that definition.

Summary: The California Constitution requires the reasonable and beneficial use of water. This bill would establish the CalConserve Water Use Efficiency Revolving Fund administered by the Department of Water Resources and would continuously appropriate moneys in the fund, without regard to fiscal year, to the department, for the purpose of water use efficiency projects. This bill would require moneys in the fund to be used for purposes that include, but are not limited to, at-or-below market interest rate loans and would permit the department to enter into agreements with local governments or investor-owned utilities that provide water or recycled water service to provide loans.

Summary: Under existing law, the Department of Consumer Affairs is comprised of boards that license and regulate various professions and vocations. Existing law provides that these boards are established to ensure that private businesses and professions are regulated to protect the people of this state. Under existing law, any board has the authority to appoint commissioners on examination, to give the whole or any portion of any examination, as specified. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to that provision.

Summary: Existing law, the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $11,140,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water and water supply reliability program. Existing law provides for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election. This bill would repeal these provisions. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.

Summary: Existing law requires the Department of Water Resources to update The California Water Plan, which is a plan for the conservation, development, and use of the water resources of the state, every 5 years. The department, as part of the update, is required to release assumptions and estimates relating to current and projected water use, including industrial uses and parks and open spaces. This bill would require the department to release assumptions and estimates relating to water use for urban waterway restoration. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.

CEQA.

Summary: The California Environmental Quality Act, referred to as CEQA, requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify completion of, an environmental impact report, referred to as an EIR, on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA prescribes certain requirements for the review of draft EIRs, as specified. CEQA prohibits a lead agency or responsible agency from requiring a subsequent or supplemental EIR when an EIR has been prepared for a project pursuant to its provisions, unless one or more of specified events occurs, including, among other things, that new information, which was not known and could not have been known at the time the EIR was certified as complete, becomes available. CEQA requires the Office of Planning and Research to prepare and develop, and the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to certify and adopt, guidelines for the implementation of CEQA. CEQA requires the office to review the guidelines once every 2 years and recommend proposed changes or amendments to the guidelines to the secretary. CEQA requires the guidelines to include a list of classes of projects that have been determined not to have a significant effect on the environment and to exempt those classes of projects from CEQA. These are referred to as categorical exemptions. This bill would , for purposes of the new information exception to the prohibition on requiring a subsequent or supplemental EIR, specify that the exception applies if new information that becomes available was not known and could not have been known by the lead agency or any responsible agency at the time the EIR was certified as complete. The bill would authorize the office, by July 1, 2015, to draft and transmit to the secretary revisions to the guidelines to include as a categorical exemption projects involving minor temporary uses of land and public gatherings that have been determined not to have a significant effect on the environment. The bill would require the secretary, if the Office of Planning and Research transmits the revisions to the secretary , to certify and adopt the proposed revisions to the guidelines by January 1, 2016 . Because a lead agency would be required to determine whether a project would fall within this categorical exemption, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.

Summary: The Water Measurement Law requires every water purveyor to require, as a condition of new water service on and after January 1, 1992, the installation of a water meter to measure water service. That law also requires urban water suppliers to install water meters on specified service connections, and to charge water users based on the actual volume of deliveries as measured by those water meters in accordance with a certain timetable. This bill would require a water purveyor that provides water service to a newly constructed multiunit residential structure or newly constructed mixed-use residential and commercial structure that submits an application for a water connection after January 1, 2015 , to require measurement of the quantity of water supplied to each individual dwelling unit and to permit the measurement to be by individual water meters or submeters, as defined . The bill would require the owner of the structure to ensure that a water submeter installed for these purposes complies with laws and regulations governing approval of submeter types or the installation , maintenance, reading, billing, and testing of submeters, including, but not limited to, the California Plumbing Code. The bill would exempt certain structures from these requirements. The bill would prohibit a water purveyor from imposing an additional capacity or connection fee or charge for a submeter that is installed by the owner, or his or her agent. The bill would provide that these provisions shall become operative on Janu ary 1, 2015. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.

Summary: Existing law creates the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $11,140,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water and water supply reliability program. Existing law provides for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election. This bill would repeal these provisions. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.

Summary: Existing law creates the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $11,140,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water and water supply reliability program. The bond act, among other things, makes specified amounts available for projects relating to drought relief, water supply reliability, ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration, and emergency and urgent actions that ensure safe drinking water supplies are available in disadvantaged communities and economically distressed areas. Existing law provides for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election. This bill would rename the bond act as the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2014 and make conforming changes. The bill would instead authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $9,217,000,000 by reducing the amount available for projects related to drought relief and water supply reliability, as specified. The bill would remove the authorization for funds to be available for ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration projects, and would increase the amount of funds available for emergency and urgent actions to ensure safe drinking water supplies in disadvantaged communities and economically distressed areas. This bill contains other related provisions.

Summary: Existing law requires that, on and after July 1, 2014, the minimum wage for all industries be not less than $9 per hour. Existing law further increases the minimum wage, on and after January 1, 2016, to not less than $10 per hour. This bill would increase the minimum wage, on and after January 1, 2015, to not less than $11 per hour, on and after January 1, 2016, to not less than $12 per hour, and on and after January 1, 2017, to not less than $13 per hour. The bill would further increase the minimum wage annually thereafter, to maintain employee purchasing power. The automatically adjusted minimum wage would be calculated using the California Consumer Price Index, as specified. The bill would prohibit the Industrial Welfare Commission from adjusting the minimum wage downward and from adjusting the minimum wage if the average percentage of inflation for the previous year was negative. The bill would require the Industrial Welfare Commission to publicize the automatically adjusted minimum wage. This bill contains other related provisions.

Status: 2/20/2014-From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 22.

Is Urgency: N

Location: 2/19/2014-S. PRINT

Summary: Existing law creates the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $11,140,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water and water supply reliability program. Existing law provides for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election. This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to reduce the $11,140,000,000 bond.

Status: 2/20/2014-From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 22.

Is Urgency: N

Location: 2/19/2014-S. PRINT

Summary: Under existing law, various measures have been approved by the voters to provide funds for park, river, and coastal protections and programs. This bill would enact the Safe Neighborhood Parks, Rivers, and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2014, which, if adopted by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in an unspecified amount pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe neighborhood parks, rivers, and coastal protection program.

Status: 2/21/2014-From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.

Is Urgency: N

Location: 2/20/2014-S. PRINT

Summary: Existing law does not provide for the imposition of a tax specific to the point of sale of a bicycle, other than sales and use taxes generally applicable to tangible personal property. This bill would authorize a city, county, or regional park district to impose, as a special tax, a point of sale tax on new bicycles, with the rate of the tax to be determined by the local agency. The bill would exclude from the tax bicycles with wheels of 20 inches or less in diameter. The bill would require the State Board of Equalization to collect the bicycle tax in a manner similar to the collection of local transactions and use taxes, and to transmit the net revenues from the tax to the local agency. The bill would require the local agency to use bicycle tax revenues for improvements to paved and natural surface trails, including existing and new trails, and for associated maintenance purposes.

Status: 2/21/2014-Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Is Urgency: Y

Location: 2/21/2014-S. PRINT

Summary: Existing law creates the Safe, Clean, and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $11,140,000,000 pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law to finance a safe drinking water and water supply reliability program. Existing law provides for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election. This bill would repeal these provisions. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.